The Red Room: Mario Horror Story
by Elithesia Autem Dangaurde
Summary: A short horror story involving the Mario Bros. An urban legend comes to life and causes great strife in their lives.


_**The Red Room**_

" _ **Do you like it?"**_

Mario waved to Peach as he departed from the castle. It had been another day. Another kidnapping, another adventure, and another rescue. But now it was late, and Mario was rather eager to return home. As he walked along the path, he looked up to the sky in hopes of seeing more light, but it was a new moon that night. This left him in complete darkness, and a chilly autumn breeze bit through the night. Mario shuddered slightly. For everything he faced, it was more mundane things like this that scared him. The cold and the darkness made him feel very claustrophobic and uncomfortable.

"Just breathe…It'll be okay…" Mario said to himself, recalling the times that he and Luigi had talked about dealing with these kinds of fears.

Mario then felt a smile creep onto his face. As relieved as he was to be going home, he felt happier from the thought of seeing his ever-so loyal brother, who was always awaiting his returns at home. Sometimes he would already be asleep, sometimes he would be zoned out in some sort of mundane activity that kept him busy, and sometimes he would even have something special prepared for him upon his return. Given the time it was right now, Mario wasn't really expecting anything grand tonight. If anything, Luigi was probably sleeping right now. However, just the thought of seeing him helped Mario feel less afraid in the cold darkness, so he quickened his pace and kept moving forward in stride.

" _ **Do you like it?"**_

Mario let out a comfortable exhale as his house came into view. He had made it without any problems. The house had no lights and there were no surrounding noises, which seemed to confirm Mario's idea that Luigi had likely turned in for the night. He chuckled slightly. Maybe he could surprise Luigi with his presence when he woke up in the morning. Smiling to himself, Mario climbed up the front steps and reached for the doorknob.

" _ **Do you like it?"**_

Mario snapped to attention, startled. What was that? It had sounded like the voice of a young child. He looked back in the direction he came. Nothing. He then shook his head.

"Mamma Mia…I must be more tired than I originally thought…" He muttered to himself. He then turned the doorknob and entered his house. Suddenly, an ominous feeling of dread washed over Mario. He couldn't place it, but he could that something wasn't right. The house seemed too quiet.

" _ **Do you like red?"**_

Mario flinched again at the sound of it. There was no mistaking it. It was definitely the voice of a child, and it sounded feminine. Mario looked around, trying to place where the voice was coming from. However, the only sound that could be heard now was the sound of his own breathing, which made him feel even more uneasy. What was "red" supposed to be? What did this all mean? Mario began taking anxious steps forward.

"Luigi, I swear to God…If this is some sort of prank…" He muttered to himself. However, he instantly retracted the thought in his head. Luigi hated pranks. He hated being scared. He wasn't that fond of Halloween. And he couldn't even really bring himself to try and scare others, even with the insistence of others. He wouldn't do anything like this. Besides, the voice wasn't anything like his. But then…whose voice was it?

" _ **Do you like red?"**_

Mario spun around quickly in an attempt to see if there was anyone behind him, but there was nothing there when he looked. Mario placed his hand on his forehead and let out a soft groan. Was this all in his head? Was his exhaustion just messing with him and forcing him to hear things? He finally reached the door of his bedroom. As much as he didn't want to risk waking Luigi up, he didn't really want to crash on the couch. So he just sighed, hoped Luigi would understand, and reached for the doorknob.

" _ **Do you like the Red Room?"**_

Mario was starting to feel frustrated by this and he pressed his hands against his ears. He just wanted the voices to STOP. He didn't even understand. What was a Red Room? Why should it matter to him? Suddenly Mario realized something. The child's voice…It wasn't just in his head. It was coming from the other side of the door. Unnerved, Mario knocked on the door to the room, no longer caring if Luigi woke up. He just had to figure out what was going on. However, there was nothing. Even the voice had seemed to stop.

"Luigi? Are you in there?" Mario asked as he knocked on the door again. But there was still no response. Feeling slightly irritated, Mario went to open the door, but the handle stopped as he turned it. Mario frowned. Their bedroom door didn't have a lock. The only way this could be happening was if the door had something propped up against it on the other side. But why would anyone do that?

" _ **Red…Red…Red…"**_

The voice started up again as Mario struggled with the door, but it wasn't loud like before. Now it just sounded like an echoed whisper, repeating endlessly in his mind. Mario felt himself snarl as he heard it. What did it mean?

" _ **Red…"**_

Why was this happening? How was it happening? Why wouldn't the door open? What did it all even mean?

" _ **Red…"**_

Finally, having had enough, Mario released the handle and slammed his body against it, trying to force it down. The door budged but didn't open, exasperating Mario even more. How much more could the door take? How much of this voice could he take?

" _ **Red…"**_

Mario took a few steps back, took a deep breath, and the slammed his full weight against the door. It swung open forcefully, almost releasing the hinges. Mario rubbed his tender shoulder and looked up, then took in a sharp gasp of horror.

" _ **Do you like the Red Room?"**_

Red…It was everywhere. All over the room, there were red streaks along the walls, almost reaching the ceiling and small bits gathered on the floor. It looked like someone had tried to rush through a paint job without any care. However, Mario knew right away that this red wasn't paint…It was blood. Mario resisted the urge to throw up right there. It was horrifying to see it. It felt like some sort of bad dream, though Mario regrettably knew that it wasn't.

Mario's eyes then slowly drifted down towards the floor and he felt his breath sharply cut for a moment. On the ground was a pair of bloody scissors, and laying beside them was an even worse sight.

"Luigi!" Mario fell to his knees and crawled over to him in despair. It was a gruesome sight. He was covered in blood, with stab wounds and slashes adorning his whole body. He had also been stripped down to only his boxers, so his slashed chest was fully exposed as well. Mario cradled his little brother in tears, not caring about the blood stains that spread on his hands and clothes. Mario frantically pressed his ear to Luigi's chest. To his relief, his heart was still beating. He was alive, but not by much. Suddenly, he came to a sickening realization. The bloody scissors…Luigi being attacked…The blood all over the walls…A Red Room. Mario slammed his fist against the ground. The voice had been mocking him. Mercilessly taunting him about what had become of his poor brother. Mario held Luigi close to him desperately.

"Oh Weegie…How did this happen to you? Why?" He whimpered softly, knowing full well that Luigi couldn't answer him. He held his little brother close as he started to cry, as though he could heal him if he just held him tightly enough.

It didn't take Mario much time to realize that he was doing nothing but wasting time as just sitting there. So he set Luigi down and ran over to the closet. He grabbed a spare blanket from the top shelf and wrapped Luigi in it, making sure that he covered as many of his wounds as possible. He then took him into his arms, with his head limply resting against his shoulder.

"Stay with me, Bro…" Mario whispered to him. No longer caring about the dark or the cold, Mario took off into the night once again with his brother in his arms.

"Someone! Help me, please!" Mario shouted as he burst through the doors of the Mushroom Kingdom hospital. The bros' doctor, Doctor Toadley, was in the lobby as he arrived, and he quickly dashed over to the two of them as soon as he heard Mario's shouts.

"Oh my, Mario! What's wrong? What happened?" He asked in surprise, spotting the weak Luigi in his arms.

"Luigi was attacked in our home…I don't know how much longer he has…Please…" Mario said through broken breaths. He was tired from running, since he hadn't taken any breaks to stop on his way there. Doctor Toadley's expression turned serious and he gestured for Mario to follow him. The two of them went to a nearby room, and Mario set Luigi down on the bed. Doctor Toadley then started unwrapping the blanket around him, revealing all of the bloody slashes that decorated his body.

"Goodness gracious…" He said aloud as he scanned him. Mario panted anxiously as he tried to steady his breathing.

"Please…Can you help him?" He asked. Doctor Toadley nodded.

"Absolutely. We'll start with him right away. However, I must ask you one thing. I know it is rather cruel of me to ask this of you, but can you please leave for now while we tend to him? I swear to you that I will send for you the moment I can give you word on him." He said. Mario wanted to object, but he knew that Doctor Toadley was right and that his concern was warranted. Despite how much he didn't want to, he just nodded and walked towards the door. However, before he left, he turned to look back one more time. The good doctor gave him a reassuring nod, and Mario finally stepped out of the room. As he made his way down the hall, he caught sight of his reflection in a darkened window and he froze at the sight of himself. His hands and arms were covered in blood, and his lower right side was almost coated in it. The worst part were the streaks across the right side of his face. He reached up and ran two fingers across those streaks and looked down at his cherry-stained glove, feeling like his heart was in his stomach.

"Luigi, please…Hang in there…" He whispered to himself as he clenched his blood covered fist against his chest woefully. Then he reluctantly made his way out of the hospital.

When Mario woke up the next morning, he almost forgot that he had decided to crash on his couch, but it didn't take him long to remember. He looked at the floor in front of him, just staring at the sunlight as it shone through the window and reflected off the ground. His eyes then drifted up to the mantle above the fireplace, where his eyes landed on one of him and Luigi. Seeing the picture made him feel downtrodden. He still hadn't received any sort of word from Doctor Toadley since the previous night, and he felt incredibly worried now. More than anything else at the moment, he wanted to know that Luigi was going to be okay, or at least that he would live. He forced himself to sit up with a heavy sigh as he looked in the direction of his bedroom. There was something he needed to do, as much as he didn't want to do it…

It took all of Mario's strength to push the door to the bedroom open again and gaze upon the blood-stained walls. It was no less terrible of a sight the second time he looked at it. But he couldn't just let this sit here as it was. That's why he had brought the supplies that he had. A bucket of soapy water, a rag, and stain remover. He was going to erase any physical trace of this Red Room. He never wanted to see it again. As he got to work and started scrubbing away the red stains, he felt his arms tense as he tried to not stare. Though it wasn't too hard for him to clean this up, it was much harder to not think about what he had seen. The images were burned into his mind, and it would likely be a long time before they went away. Plus, the fact that this was all Luigi's blood that he was removing from the walls…It unnerved Mario to no end, especially when it came to the questions that it raised in his head. Would he have been able to protect him if he had been home? Why did Luigi have to be the victim of something so horrible? Most importantly, how did whomever did this manage to taunt Mario after the fact without being seen? It made him feel angry more than anything. But he couldn't do anything in retaliation if he didn't know who to retaliate against. So he said nothing, instead focusing his efforts towards doing what could be done.

By the time he had completely finished, there was still no kind of word from Doctor Toadley. While he was highly considering just going back to the hospital anyway without and sort of cue, but there was one more thing that Mario was curious about. He returned to his now clean bedroom and sat down at his desk, which housed the computer that he and Luigi shared. He felt his hands were trembling, but he still went through with what he wanted to do.

" **What is the Red Room?"**

Mario pursed his lips together nervously as results popped up on the screen. He clicked on a link and opened a site, which seemed to offer an explanation. Unfortunately, the information offered seemed to be quite limited. But anything that could give him a clue was worth something, so he decided to read.

 **"The Red Room is a Japanese Urban legend about a pop-up that appears on your computer at random. It is often confused for a virus or just a random pop-up at first, and people often try to close the window, but this is the first mistake that all victims make."**

Mario placed his hand over his mouth as he tried to think. Had the computer been on last night when he had burst into the room? He hadn't noticed anything like that, but then again, he hadn't really bothered to check. He had been too distracted and scared to even think about a small detail like that. Especially one that didn't seem to matter so much at the moment.

 **"The pop-up will continue to appear, even if it is continuously closed. It is a red pop-up with Japanese letters. The translation of those words is read aloud by the voice of a child. The words translate to "Do you like it" or "Do you like the Red Room?" and is read aloud repeatedly."**

Mario shuddered as he read that. He could definitely say that was true. After all, he'd heard it himself. No arguments or questions there.

 **"It is unknown why the voice is that of a child, but it is believed to influence the mind hypnotically, which is the intention of the curse. It is said that an angry spirit is responsible for the curse and uses the innocent sounding voice to fulfill its mission of taking the lives of others. However, as it has no physical form, it plays tricks on its victims, making them believe they are going crazy due to the voice sounding like it is being whispered into their ears."**

Mario felt his body shiver. He had questioned his own sanity as he had heard the voice, and he apparently wasn't even an intended victim. But an angry spirit? Mario didn't need proof that ghosts existed due to his own experiences with them, but the "invisible spirit" thing seemed like something he'd only see in horror films. However, he wasn't really going to think too hard about that. If this was proof of that being true, then he wasn't going to deny it. There was no reason to.

 **"The incessant whispering becomes more and more troubling to the victim until their will to resist is broken down. Once their mind is vulnerable, the spirit enters and persuades the victims to create a Red Room by their own hands."**

By their own hands? No, that couldn't be. It couldn't. But then again…How else could it be that it looked like Luigi hadn't heard anyone else in their room? Their room's floorboards squeaked when walked upon. But if no one else was there…

 **"Any sharp object will do in this process. The Red Room is created from the victim's own blood, with them being unaware of what is happening as it occurs."**

Mario felt his heart rate accelerate as he started to piece together what had happened. The scissors, easily accessible in the desk…No one around to stop him…A voice in his head and a spirit controlling him…The pain not distracting him…Under a supernatural influence…

 **"Most to all victims of the curse die in their created Red Room. Only if found in time can they be saved."**

Luigi had done this to himself…

 _ **KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!**_

Mario nearly jumped out of his chair at the loud sounds of the door. He quickly closed out of his computer tab, not wanting to read anything else about that cursed Red Room. He then stood up and went over to the door. When he opened it, he saw a female toad in nurse attire standing there.

"My goodness, Master Mario. You look rather frazzled. Are you doing alright?" She asked. Mario sighed, trying to keep his composure and not show his panic about what he had just learned. So he just nodded.

"I'm fine. Just not enough sleep. Did Doctor Toadley send you?" He asked. The toad nodded with a slight smile.

"Yes, he did. He wanted me to inform you about your brother's condition." She explained. Mario felt his hand clench into a fist at his side, but he prayed she wouldn't see it.

"Is he…I mean…How is he? Is he alive?" He pleaded, failing to hide his worry. The toad nurse gave another nod and kept her small smile.

"Yes, he is alive. And he will be okay. It was thanks to you bringing him in as quickly as you did that saved his life. The doctor is still waiting for him to wake up and we'll need to keep him for a few more days, but he's stable and he will survive." She said. Mario placed his fist against his chest and let out a very audible sigh.

"Grazie Dio…" He said in a whisper. He couldn't even begin to say how relieved he was. What would he have done if Luigi had died? He couldn't even remember what the last words he had said to him were. Had they been positive? If they hadn't been, Mario would've regretted it forever. He opened his eyes to see the toad nurse just standing there silently. She seemed to just be patiently waiting for his response.

"Can I…see him please?" He asked. This seemed to make her eyes brighten as she heard this.

"Absolutely. Doctor Toadley stressed to me to let you know that you could be with him now if you wished." As soon as he got the confirmation, Mario instantly ditched their conversation, leaping off his porch and breaking into a sprint, racing for the hospital. As she watched him disappear into the distance, the nurse shook her head as her smile disappeared.

"Oh…Poor boy…"

Mario didn't stop until he was through Toad Town and in the lobby of the hospital. He hunched over to relax his breathing, but quickly straightened out as soon as he was able to. Doctor Toadley looked up from a clipboard that he was looking at and his eyes brightened when he caught sight of Mario.

"There you are. As soon as I sent my messenger, I knew it'd only be a matter of time before you were here. But may I suggest that you not sprint here next time? You're going to waste all your energy." He said with a slight chuckle. Mario snorted, unable to really laugh or respond in any sort of way as he regained his breath. Doctor Toadley beckoned to him and Mario followed him back to the room they had entered together the previous night. Mario's eyes widened when he laid eyes on Luigi. He was still unconscious, with bandages over every cut and laceration that Mario had seen on him the previous night. However, his chest was rising and falling at a steady pace, making it appear that he was just sleeping. He looked down at the doctor, who just gave him a nod and left the room, closing the door behind him and leaving the two of them alone. Mario walked over to Luigi's bedside and pulled up a chair, just listening to him breath. He then looked away for a moment as he considered what he had just learned from his research. He couldn't really consider this to be Luigi's fault, despite what the description said. After all, he was still alive, so he figured that he should be grateful for that rather than angry for what had happened.

Suddenly, a noise caught his attention. The heart rate monitor had accelerated. Luigi was panting and starting to toss, like he was stressed or scared of something. Mario clutched his brother's hand and placed his other hand on his cheek.

"Luigi. It's okay. Calm down. You're alright. I'm here." Mario assured him. Luigi took in a sharp inhale, but then the heart rate monitor gradually returned to normal. He seemed to have reacted to Mario's voice. Which meant he was closer to consciousness. Mario rubbed his thumb on Luigi's cheek again, trying to get a response out of him, hoping that he would wake up. Luigi twitched, and he let out a soft groan.

"Hey…Luigi…Bro, wake up…" Mario coaxed him gently. Luigi's eyes fluttered and then partially opened. He seemed to not be entirely there yet, as he seemed to be staring into blank space. Mario moved his hand from Luigi's cheek to his shoulder and gently but firmly held it while giving his hand a very light squeeze.

"Weegie. Over here." He said, thinking that giving him something to focus on would help him wake up. Luigi turned his head slightly and blinked a few times as his vision started to become clearer. Colors became more visible and things began to take shape. And Luigi could make out that someone was by his side, with one hand on his shoulder and one hand holding his own.

"M-Mario…" He said weakly. His voice was a bit raspy, but he sounded alright. Mario sighed with relief and moved his hand again so that both of his were clasping Luigi's.

"Luigi…I'm so glad you're alright." He said. Luigi looked behind Mario, taking in his surroundings piece by piece.

"Where am I?" He asked, sounding very confused. Mario's smile disappeared. It seemed no time was being wasted.

"You're in the hospital. Tell me…What are the last things you remember?" he asked. Luigi's face scrunched as he considered the question, his brow furrowing as he tried to think back to the last time he was conscious. His memories were rather fuzzy, but he could vaguely seem to recall a little something.

"I was at home, waiting for you…I was looking for something on the computer…I stood up to leave for a moment, but the door wouldn't open. The windows seemed to be sealed shut too. Then I started hearing a voice in my head…It wouldn't stop…I thought I was going mad…Then I felt dizzy, and-" Luigi cut himself off as he suddenly seemed to realize just what condition he was in. He scanned the bandages on his arms and put a hand to his wrapped chest. He could also feel the ones on his legs. He then turned to Mario, looking shocked.

"Mario, what happened to me?" He asked. Mario started trembling slightly and he released Luigi's hand, placing his hands in his lap, making Luigi's expression change from surprise to concern.

"You're not going to like it. Trust me, you won't." He said, wanting to spare Luigi's feelings if he could. However, Luigi shook his head.

"If I'm looking like this, then whatever got me like this naturally isn't going to be good. Pease tell me." He said. Mario nodded uneasily, but he slowly explained everything. He started with the information he had learned that morning, and then spoke of what had happened the previous night. Just talking about it again made Mario's heart hurt as the memories of it came flashing back in his head, but he had to at least finish explaining. When he had finally wrapped up, Luigi was staring at him with wide eyes. He then looked over his bandaged wounds again, like he had a new understanding of how they'd gotten there. When he looked back at Mario, his eyes widened. Mario's head had dropped into his hands, which were supported by his elbows resting on his knees. And Luigi could hear him lightly sobbing, which alarmed him greatly.

"Bro? Are you alright?" He asked, pushing himself up to a seated position. For a moment, there was no response. But then, Mario spoke.

"Oh Luigi…I just…I'm just so glad you're alright…" He picked his head up from his hands, and Luigi could see streaks of tears running down his face, which made Luigi close his mouth, no longer thinking of what he had originally intended to say. Mario rubbed his eyes with his arm, but more tears took their place.

"When I saw you on the ground, covered in blood… _*sob*_ …I thought you were dead…And then I had to wait to receive word about how you were doing…I couldn't remember what the last thing I said to you was…I was afraid I'd regret whatever it was…and that I'd lost you…" His sobs then caught up with him again and he placed one hand over his eyes as he continued to cry.

Mario was brought out of his thoughts by Luigi clasping his free hand in both of his, just as he had done for him moments before. When Mario looked up, Luigi's expression was serious though still concerned.

"Mario…I understand you were worried about me, but you can't only focus on the worse outcome that could've happened. I'm only still alive right now because you saved me, and that's worth more than you know. And more importantly, you can't let this stop you from doing what you need to whenever you must." He said. Mario raised an eyebrow as he wiped his eyes once again.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You can't stop going on adventures when you need to because something might happen to me when you're not here. It wouldn't be fair to everyone else. That's why I never stop you from leaving even though I worry about you getting hurt while you're out there. I have faith in you, even though I'm concerned for you. Now I'm asking you to do the same for me, and not to let yourself be distracted because of this one incident. Please Mario…I need to know that you still trust me to take care of myself." Luigi explained as his gave his brother's hand a squeeze. Mario was speechless as he heard this, almost unable to comprehend what he had been told. He just stared at Luigi, who then gave him a smile. Mario placed his free hand on top of Luigi's and was able to smile himself.

"Of course I trust you, Luigi. Thank you for telling me that. I needed to hear that. But truly…I'm glad you're alive." He said. Luigi removed Mario's hat with his uncovered hand and then placed his forehead against his, giving Mario a great sense of relief. Then the two remained quiet for a few moments, no longer worried or stressed, feeling nothing but peace.


End file.
